Russia said British troops would become 'legitimate military targets' in its scathing rejection of the deal - while Americans living in Kyiv have been warned of a 'potentially significant air attack'
22:35, 08 Jan 2026Updated 22:37, 08 Jan 2026
Russia has rejected a peace deal in Ukraine and branded British soldiers "legitimate military targets" in a chilling new threat amid fears of a 'significant air strike' on Kyiv.
Reacting to the new US-European proposal to provide Ukraine with security guarantees if a ceasefire is reached, the Kremlin branded the move "foreign intervention" - and claimed it would pose a direct "threat" to Russian security.
It comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a new plan to set up military 'hubs' in Ukraine in the event of a deal to protect the country from another invasion.
But Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Britain and her allies of planning to "continue the militarisation of Ukraine" - and warned that Western military units, military facilities, and other infrastructure in Ukraine would become "legitimate targets" for Putin's troops.
She said: "As clarified by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who signed the corresponding trilateral statement along with [Vladimir] Zelensky, London and Paris plan to establish their own military bases in Ukraine post-ceasefire and build weapon and military equipment storage facilities.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units and the setting-up of military facilities, storages and other Western infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be qualified as foreign intervention that directly threatens the security of Russia and other European countries.
"All such units and facilities will be considered as legitimate military targets for the Russian Armed Forces. Warnings to this effect have been repeatedly made at the highest level and remain relevant."
She went on to describe the 35-nation Coalition of the Willing who signed the January 6 agreement as "forming a true axis of war", claiming that their plans would prove "destructive for the future of the European continent and its residents, who are also forced by Western politicians to pay for such ambitions out of their own pockets".
Zakharova added that any resolution to end the war in Ukraine would require Ukraine to adopt neutral status, abandon NATO membership ambitions, and hand over occupied territories. The US Embassy in Kyiv meanwhile warned its citizens that it had received intelligence of a massive aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital tonight.
Writing on their website they said: "The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has received information concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days." US citizens should be prepared to immediately seek shelter if they hear air raid sirens, they added.